The Importance of Story Telling

It appears the pendulum has swung back, and employers may be starting to feel that they have more leverage in terms of attracting new talent. However, overconfidence is never a good thing.

Storytelling has always played an important role in attracting the best talent. In market niches like transfer pricing and other related tax specialties, too many in-house/consulting teams rely on the marketplace to tell their story.

They might feel like they have control of the message as a direct result of the reputation that has developed in the marketplace through conversations amongst the cohort of professionals, but when it comes to individual hires, you still need to tell the story.

For example, why is the position available? Is there growth in the team or did an employee leave for something new?

What does the interview process look like and why has it been structured that way? Where did the organization start, what transitions has it gone through and where is it headed? Who are all the team members and what are they like to work for/with?

These questions can, and should, be answered by the story that is being told.

The story needs to be thoughtfully discussed and presented so a candidate can visualize themselves as a contributor to the continuing narrative.

Working with a knowledgeable and experienced recruiter can help assess the story as originally formulated by the hiring and talent acquisition teams and provide clarity as to how it will potentially resonate with candidates. What hiring teams look for in discernment and self-confidence of candidates should also be reflected in the story being presented by the employer.

Does the hiring team have a sense of where they’ve been and what they need to do to achieve their goal? Do they know how to describe their achievements to entice the candidate? Do they know how to describe their organizational culture so the candidate can visualize themselves as a member of the team?

These details describing the “characters”, developing the “plot” and providing intrigue for a “sequel” can be drawn out by a recruiter who partners with you, understands your “story” and can help tell your story to the marketplace.